Why ?

A Cornelian Choice

Bellum POV

I looked at the unconscious girl lying on the table in front of me. Physically she was fine. At least as well as she could be after six months of near starvation and daily torture. In any case, nothing here should have caused this sudden condition. The only plausible explanation would be a psychological shock that would remind her of a pain she had kept silent for too long. It couldn't be related to any of us, the attack would have happened much earlier. It had to have something to do with our current position. Of course this location had already been attacked by Sandiego but nothing that had happened would have triggered this reaction. I continued my speculation while pacing. I couldn't conduct my experiment with my only test subject unconscious. I was about to leave the room when I heard moaning behind me. I turn around and see Black Sheep, still asleep, desperately muttering something while struggling against her restraints. I then walk over to her and hold her back while adding a strap to her abdomen to keep her in place.

"Gray..."

So this would have something to do with Crackle?! What would Aukland have to do with him. The timings don't match, at the time of this operation the traitor was still under the effect of the mind wipe. I see her slowly relax and open her eyes.

Carmen POV

With a headache I open my eyes and see Dr Bellum's face above me. I try to sit up but notice leather straps holding my ankles, wrists, shoulders and even my abdomen.

"Can you hear me Black Sheep ?"

"Y-Yes Doctor."

"Do you mind explaining what happened to you earlier ?" I did not answer unsure how to proceed. The Faculty was careful never to talk about the period when I was Carmen Sandiego, not in front of me anyway. It became a bit of a taboo, they didn't want to hear that name from me. The electric shock sent to me by Doctor Bellum is enough to bring me back to the present.

"I'm waiting," she exclaims, annoyed that I'm making her wait.

"When I was still Carmen Sandiego..." I notice that she tenses up and holds back from hitting me for daring to say that name. I continue while carefully choosing my words and holding back the sob that comes to me, "...Gray had helped me break into your lab to delete the plans for one of your projects and destroy your prototype." I say the end of the sentence quickly, hoping to escape her wrath, but it's no use. The reminder of this event only makes her angrier and she shocks me for several dozen seconds. Once the tension has subsided, she grabs my chin to look me in the eye.

"He's the one you thought of when we came here and that's what caused your attack. You're delaying my experiments for something as insignificant as a traitor. You still haven't grieved but remember, he's dead. So forget him and make sure it doesn't happen again or I will intervene. I will erase every last one of your ridiculous memories with him. I'll never have to tell you again, understand ?" I nod, too terrified to speak. She slaps me and demands a verbal response.

"Yes Doctor."

"I was going to give you a little break between the various adjustments but we're behind enough so we'll string them together. I don't want to hear you once or I'll have you gagged for the rest of our stay here." She steps out of my line of sight, I turn my head then notice that my collar has been removed from me and is sitting next to her control station. She stands there and a scanner descends over me. I try to pull away, afraid of what she might do to me but an electric shock stops me. How could she ?!

"The table is electrified Black Sheep. Now stop moving, you're upsetting the device." A sound wave ripples through my head and I feel like putting my hands over my ears to dull the noise (although I know it's useless). I hold back from screaming as I bite my lip. Blood drips from my bite down my cheek and a little into my mouth. Finally, everything stops and Bellum comes to check that I am still conscious. She mumbles to herself as she adjusts the device over my head. She passes a light over my eyes and I want to get out of her firm grip on my chin. My subconscious stops me as if a command has been implanted in it forbidding me to fight. Regaining control, I pull myself out of her grip and she frowns while muttering.